After months of waiting for the nomination of the main opposition candidate to face President Mwai Kibaki in December, Hon Raila Amollo Odinga was eventually nominated to lead the struggle against the corrupt Kibaki dictatorship. The cost of the process included a split in ODM-Kenya, a shift of political parties by the progressive wing of ODM-Kenya who joined the original ODM, hasty political re-alignments in reaction to the new situation that had just emerged, political rallies by ODM to check its support bases and a huge planning of the nomination process in less than 21 days.
When the nomination was over and Raila Odinga emerged the winner with a landslide vote, all losers congratulated the winner. The transparent and democratic nature of the whole process insulated it from post-nomination grumblings by losers while it also protected the Party from internal splits which could have undermined the call for unity by leading Party members.
The Orange Democratic Movement in Scandinavia has just finished its “process of harmonization” that ODM-Kenya Party branches throughout the country underwent during the better part of last month. Fortunately, ODM-Scandinavia members did not have to go through the process of nominating a candidate fit to challenge Kibaki because Party members had already done so in April this year and come up with Hon Raila Odinga as the best challenger.
Following the conclusion of the nomination process, ODM-Scandinavia takes this opportunity to congratulate Hon Raila Odinga on the occasion of his democratic nomination as the Party’s Presidential candidate. Secondly ODM-Scandinavia would like to congratulate all presidential candidates who participated in the process and who displayed a high level of maturity before and after the nomination process. We are referring to Musalia Mudavadi, Willian Ruto, Joe Nyaga and Najib Balala who convinced Kenyans that they are democrats who are genuinely interested in being part of the defeat of the Kibaki dictatorship in December.
We welcome the emergence of Raila Odinga as the major link man of the Party. We also welcome the nomination of Musalia Mudavadi as his running mate. With the nominations over, the next big task is to enter into election campaigns and to ensure that President Kibaki returns to Othaya in December as members of his Mount Kenya Mafia cartel are weeded out of State House by January 1st next year. The clock is ticking.
The nomination of Raila Odinga has eventually vindicated ODM-Scandinavia members who had to face attacks from different directions after the Party members decided that Raila be the person to face Kibaki. Those who did not have the advantage of political perspective even used the issue of the nomination to try and split the Scandinavian branch of the party. Fortunately, the Party had a strong leadership and traitors who had infiltrated the Executive committee and who embarked on opportunistic attacks against the Party leadership using the Raila nomination were all uprooted from the leadership by members before the situation returned to normal.
In nominating Raila Odinga, ODM members have, in reality, began writing the political obituary of the aging President Mwai Kibaki whose return to State House seems impossible from the point of view of ODM voters.
The nomination of Raila should raise hopes among Kenyans who are tired of being led by thieves and robbers who have stolen from public coffers for decades and whose rightful place in today’s Kenya is prison, not State House.
RAILA ODINGA: THE PEOPLE’S PRESDIENT
For the last five years, Kenyans witnessed the degenerative nature of the Kibaki dictatorship which, just like Moi’s 24 years of misrule, was marked by high level corruption, land grabbing, open theft of public funds, rule by the Mafia, deceit of the public through bogus Commissions and Task forces, unspeakable tribalism especially in the appointment of public servants, nepotism, large-scale insecurity, entrenchment of poverty across the country, eviction of Kenyans from land they have settled on, murder of Kenyans by security forces going by all sorts of nicknames just to mention but a few.
Wananchi witnessed how President Kibaki backtracked on the issue of a new Constitution, how the President betrayed the MoU and how he cheated Kenyans on the question of creation of half a million jobs per year. Throughout his leadership, Kenyans have had a second round of misrule by a Mafia cartel which has been surrounding the President and pulling the strings from behind.
On the basis of his politics, consistency, fore-sight, patriotism and background, ODM-Scandinavia believes that Kenya needs Raila Odinga as President of the Republic. Raila is not just a nationalist, Pan-Africanist and liberator. He is also a team player who listens to opposing views. This unique Presidential candidate is an accomplished political strategist whose political acumen has been well tested in the field.
Raila disrupts when it is necessary and this is why he disrupted KANU to make it impossible for the dictatorial Party to return to power. He stands aside when necessary and this is why he said “Kibaki Tosha” before proceeding to campaign for Kibaki as the old man sat on a wheel chair. Kibaki became the President. Raila prefers to suffer other than compromise his political ideals and this is why he has gone down in history as the longest serving political detainee in Kenyan’s recent history. Most importantly, Raila takes the challenge when necessary and this is why he has been in the frontline in fighting to be Kenya’s next President.
The nomination of Raila Odinga to take up Kibaki is a high point in the country’s history because for the first time, Kenyans have the opportunity to install a President who has not been tainted by corruption since the days of the so called independence. Kibaki and his predecessor, Moi, have been reading from the same script for decades and it is not surprising that in his desperate attempt to protect wealth stolen from Kenyans during his time in Office, former dictator Moi has supported Kibaki in his bid for a second term in office. The nomination of Raila Odinga last Saturday is a positive signal that change is on the way in Kenya’s political leadership and former dictator Moi is very disturbed by this fact for obvious reasons.
With the nominations over, ODM-Scandinavia wishes to assure all supporters that the Party will now embark on a virulent campaign to ensure that Kenya gets the leadership it deserves during this difficult times. We appeal to ODM members to do everything within their means to support Hon Raila Odinga and his team in clinching the country’s leadership.
We believe that a Raila government will not just deliver a new Constitution in record time but will also address the issue of corruption in our country, eradicate tribalism that has been dragging the country backwards and institute other measures aimed at correcting the ills of not just the Kibaki dictatorship but also Moi’s 24 years of misrule.
At the Constitutional level, Kenyans abroad need dual citizenship, an issue that Kibaki has ignored throughout his reign at State House. Kenyans abroad need to vote from abroad in order to eradicate the current state of disenfranchisement of the community. Our country is sick and therefore, needs a visionary leader like Raila Odinga. The Kibaki government is a sinking ship that will go down with everybody that is still riding in this ship. We say Kudos to all delegates who voted for Raila Odinga and to all those who accepted the wishes of the majority. After more than 4 decades, there is real hope that Kenya will get a “People’s President” who will rule in the interest of the people of Kenya. We say: “VOTE RAILA AMOLLO ODINGA FOR PRESIDENT!”
Mrs Hellen Opwapo
Chairlady
Orange Democratic Movement – Scandinavia (ODM-Scandinavia)
RELATED:
- Why Raila Was Nominated For Presidential Race By ODMK-Scandinavia – 18th April 2007
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